The Delhi Capitals’ (DC) bowling in the 63rd IPL 2025 (Indian Premier League) match at the Wankhede Stadium was criticised by former India wicketkeeper-batter Saba Karim, who said it might have cost them the game and eliminated them from the season. When slower deliveries, speed adjustments, and knuckleballs had proven effective for the DC pacers, the Jiostar analyst questioned why they chose to use faster deliveries at the end.
The DC bowlers, in Karim’s opinion, totally lost the plot and let away a lot of runs in the latter stages. Actually, MI gained momentum in the match thanks in large part to the 27 and 21 runs that Dushmantha Chameera and Mukesh Kumar, who bowled the 19th and 20th overs for DC, respectively, let up in the final two overs. Karim thought they would have benefited from staying with the slower ones.
“I’m still having trouble understanding this. When it was the slower deliveries, the knuckleballs, and the change of speed that had worked so well for DC throughout the match, why would Mukesh Kumar bowl four express deliveries in the 19th over? They spilt so many runs at the end because they totally lost the plot. In the 20th over, the same thing occurred. When it wasn’t really necessary, Dushmantha Chameera attempted to bowl yorkers. Karim stated in the Star Sports dugout that a much better outcome would have probably been achieved by sticking to slower deliveries and variations.
The former Indian cricketer praised the middle-field batting of Suryakumar Yadav and Naman Dhir while criticising the DC bowlers’ tactics. Saba Karim believed that the Indian captain was far superior to the other hitters in the game, both in terms of his strategy, cognitive process, and scoring techniques on a challenging field.
“On a track that looked difficult for most batters, it just shows the gulf in quality between Suryakumar Yadav and everyone else, not just from his team but also from DC’s lineup. He was way ahead in terms of thought process, methodical, calculative. He’s said it often, he waits for the big over, and that came in the 19th, which he carried into the 20th,” Karim added.
Suryakumar Yadav’s patience is what sets him apart: Saba Karim
While he felt Dhir played a fine hand in the end, Karim added that it was Yadav’s knock that took the match away from DC. He noted that this wasn’t something new, as viewers were used to seeing him deliver such performances in challenging conditions. Karim concluded by saying that everyone at the Wankhede wanted him to fire.
“Naman Dhir gave good support, but SKY’s patience is what sets him apart. This was a special knock. We’ve seen him do it time and again when the pitch has been challenging. Today was another one of those nights — and not just his team, the whole Wankhede wanted him to fire,” Karim concluded.
Jadeja lauds Santner’s bowling brilliance
Besides, another member of the Star Sports dugout, Ajay Jadeja, praised the spell of Mitchell Santner, who claimed 3 for 11 in his 4 overs. The Jiostar expert felt Santner read the conditions well and applied himself by mixing deliveries with proper pace and those that went with the arm to trouble the batters.
“On a day when the other two spinners conceded 47 runs in four overs, Santner’s spell of 3 for 11 shows how well he bowled and how effectively he read the game. It’s never just about the conditions — it’s about how you use them. The standout aspect of his bowling was his consistency, mixing deliveries that spun with those that went on with the arm,” Jadeja said.
India
